Some Twitter users thought it was disrespectful to turn an act of male affection into a joke:

james corden and harry styles kissing is uncomfortable to me because i thought we’d gotten past straight people using homosexual acts for more attention/views and acting as if it’s a fun quirk when gay people are actually being killed/bullied/disowned for it

Example: Y’all going ham over James Corden kissing Harry Styles. They aren’t doing it combat the rules of masculinity. They did it cause it’s laughable to see two dudes kissing and even set it up as such. It’s homophobic af.

The smooch between Harry and James came towards the end of a Christmas-themed "Carpool Karaoke" that featured Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Sam Smith (with Fifth Harmony), Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, and other stars, singing along to "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town."

Afterwards, James responded:

"Wow! I did not expect that for Christmas!"

Some fans may recall that this is not the first kiss shared between Harry and James